Dictionary

butterfly effect en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

Coined by American author and historian of science James Gleick in 1987 in his book Chaos: Making a New Science, whose first chapter bears the title “The Butterfly Effect”, and in which he discusses “the paradox of the butterfly’s wings” potentially making the difference whether a hurricane will or will not arise somewhere else later. Meteorologist Edward Lorenz, the founder of modern chaos theory, had in 1972, at a scientific meeting, presented a paper entitled “Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings set off a tornado in Texas?” without using the specific term butterfly effect. Lorenz also notes that representations of the strange attractor now known as the “Lorenz attractor” resemble a butterfly, as well as that correspondents have drawn his attention to Ray Bradbury’s short science fiction story “A Sound of Thunder”, in which a time traveler’s crushing a butterfly in the Late Cretaceous changes the outcome of a present-day presidential election. But the metaphorical butterfly was actually introduced in the title of the 1972 presentation by meteorologist Philip Merilees, who was not familiar with Bradbury’s story.

Meanings

1. The technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory.
2. (broadly) The concept that minor alterations to past events, particularly through time travel, may lead to significant and unpredictable consequences in the present.
   • Example of butterfly effect: stepping on a bug 4,000 years ago causes a different person to win the presidential election today.

Forms

Relateds

ripple effect · domino effect

Translations (45)

da sommerfugleeffekt (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · uk ефект метелика (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · es efecto mariposa (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · ar تَأْثِير الْفَرَاشَة (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · hi तितली प्रभाव (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · ms kesan kupu-kupu (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · ml ബട്ടർഫ്ലൈ ഇഫക്ട് (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · tr kelebek etkisi (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · ast efeutu caparina (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · gl efecto bolboreta (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · et liblikaefekt (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · kk көбелек эффекті (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · lt drugelio efektas (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · lv tauriņa efekts (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · de Schmetterlingseffekt (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · ka პეპლის ეფექტი (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · el φαινόμενο της πεταλούδας (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · bn বাটারফ্লাই ইফেক্ট (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · ru эффе́кт ба́бочки (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · vi hiệu ứng bươm bướm (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · cmn 蝴蝶效應 /蝴蝶效应 (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · ca efecte papallona (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · fi perhosvaikutus (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · id efek kupu-kupu (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · pt efeito borboleta (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · ja バタフライエフェクト (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · ur تتلی اثر (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · bg ефект на пеперудата (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · it effetto farfalla (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · fa اثر پروانهای (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · fr effet papillon (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · hy թիթեռի էֆեկտ (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · az kəpənək effekti (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · hu pillangóhatás (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · ko 나비 효과 (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · ja バタフライ効果 (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · hi तितली असर (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · cs motýlí efekt (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · ta பட்டாம்பூச்சி விளைவு (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · eu tximeleta efektu (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · sk motýlí efekt (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · eo papilia efiko (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · he אפקט הפרפר (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · pl efekt motyla (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory) · sv fjärilseffekten (technical notion of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory)

wikipedia: Chaos: Making a New Science · wikipedia: A Sound of Thunder · wikipedia: Ray Bradbury · wikipedia: Lorenz attractor · wikipedia: Edward Lorenz